The First Time
by Dragons and Otters
Summary: A series of firsts in the history of Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hope you enjoy this little story. It's completed, so expect updates daily. There will be seven chapters. Thanks to the lovely JadePresley for her beta work!

* * *

Draco Malfoy was twelve years old the first time he realized the kind of monster his father could be.

For as long as Draco could remember, his father was a loving husband, a doting father, and a political force. Sure, he used blackmail and his large inheritance to get what he wanted. It wasn't all above board, and even as a child, Draco had understood that.

 _Sometimes you have to do things you wish you didn't to get what you want_ , the Malfoy patriarch had always told him.

He'd never been shy about his backhanded deals.

But after Draco's second year, watching his fellow students freeze in place and stay that way for weeks, when he thought someone had died…

He'd overheard his father discussing it with his mother that summer. _His father_ had been the one to orchestrate the entire nightmare. He'd nearly gotten a little girl killed. A little girl just a year younger than Draco himself. He _wanted_ to get that little girl killed.

Draco Malfoy was twelve years old the first time he realized he may not have what it takes to be a proper Malfoy.

* * *

Ginny Weasley was ten years old the first time her eyes fell on Harry Potter.

She'd heard all about him, of course — the Boy Who Lived. He was a hero, and he was only a year older than she. He'd accomplished so much as a mere baby. Ginny had admired the potential power he might possess all her short life, from the moment she first heard the story of that fateful Halloween night.

When she saw him, it was love at first sight. At least, that's what it felt like at ten years old. His hair was as dark as night, and those green eyes felt like they burned holes into her skin.

It made her wish she could go to Hogwarts _right then_ even more desperately.

Ginny had always been one of the boys until her crush developed for the Boy Who Lived. It was something she knew sometimes upset her mother. Molly Weasley had long dreamed of having a little girl, one to dress up and play tea party with. Ginny had never been that. Worse, her father refused to see her for who she was. She would until the end of Arthur Weasley's days be a frilly princess in his eyes — so fragile she may break in a strong wind.

Ginny Weasley was ten years old the first time she daydreamed of marrying Harry Potter, and it was also the first time she imagined what it would be like to not have to live within her parents' expectations.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco was in the Library the first time he had a real conversation with Ginny.

He'd seen her from across the room, quietly looking through a shelf of books. Her eyes kept darting around, he wondered what she was worried would happen — or who she was worried about running into.

It had been a whole summer since the school found out she'd been the one to open the Chamber of Secrets. But it wasn't common knowledge that she'd fallen prey to Lord Voldemort. Those that should've cared had stopped asking if she was alright, but those that only judged her persevered. Draco had noticed people snickering at her sometimes, or making a point of backing away from her. Their fellow students thought it'd been her evil plan to open the Chamber and unleash the monster within. Her punishment, though unknown, was often a topic of conversation.

Draco felt a pang of guilt whenever he looked at her. His father should've never given her that diary. The people torturing her over it now, well, Draco felt he deserved their attention more than she did. It was his father…

When he quietly approached her in the stacks, she jumped a little. Her eyes swirled with questions, and she stood defensively. _She knew who gave her that diary_.

"I'm sorry," he said first, holding up his hands in surrender.

He felt like there was fire burning through him as she considered him and his apology. Her lip quivered just slightly, but he knew not to underestimate it as a sign of weakness. She wasn't cowering in this stack, obsessively checking over her shoulder for tormentors. She was _angry_ , and her guard was up. Draco wondered if she ever let her guard down anymore.

Draco could feel the crackling of her magic begging to be released.

It was in the Library that Draco learned to see Ginny as more than just a victim.

* * *

They were in the Slytherin boys' dorms the first time Ginny was able to open herself up to Draco.

Tears streamed silently down the angles of his face as he spoke about his fears regarding Voldemort's possible return. It was only a few nights before the first task in the Triwizard Tournament, and they were sitting across from each other on his bed. Like most everyone else, Draco knew that something nefarious was happening with Harry being chosen as a fourth champion.

He confided in her about the conversations he'd overheard at the Manor, and she tentatively reached for his hand, encasing it with her own smaller ones. She was terrified, of course. She didn't know if _Voldemort_ would know about her experiences with his diary or the conversations she'd shared with his sixteen year old self.

What surprised her was the fear she felt reflected in Draco's steel grey eyes.

"Tom Riddle was my best friend first year," she admitted, not able to meet his gaze. "I would've done anything for him."

She expected him to pull back, to turn that fear he felt onto her. She definitely didn't expect him to pull her into his arms and hold her.

Ginny tensed, and Draco pulled away a little to look into her eyes. An apology fell from his lips, and she shook her head.

" _I'm_ sorry," she said, "I have a hard time being touched, but…" Her voice drifted off into silence as she stared at the boy with his arms open to her. Ginny's heart beat wildly in her chest, pounding loudly in her ears. "But I want to…," she finished, finally, grasping at his shirt and pulling him back to her.

It was in the Slytherin boys' dorms that Ginny saw Draco as a safe place for the first time.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Just a warning, this is the shortest chapter. This story started out as just a long one shot, but I thought it worked better in vignettes. Thanks for the reviews and to my lovely beta JadePresley. :)

* * *

Just before Cedric Diggory's funeral, Draco kissed Ginny for the first time.

She was crying, and he was holding her in a small alcove near the Great Hall. Draco was simply too scared to cry. He knew that soon he would be returning to the Manor, and his mother had already warned him of the honored guest that would be staying with them. It was all he could really think about — living with the Dark Lord.

Severus had been teaching him occlumency, but keeping other people out of his thoughts still didn't mean he could control what weighed on his mind.

But when a surge of inspiration washed over him and he moved his hands to her shoulders, pulling her back enough that he could see her whole face, he kissed her and she tasted of salt and fire, and she consumed him.

He went on to kiss her a few more times before the Hogwarts Express dropped them off at King's Cross for the summer.

But he would never forget the first time that Ginny Weasley set his blood aflame with the searing force of her lips.

* * *

Ginny was staring down the end of Draco Malfoy's wand the first time she was forced to confront the reality that they were on opposite sides of the war.

He'd led his Inquisitorial Squad to the Room of Requirements where the DA was training. She could see the resignation in the way Draco's wand twitched slightly in his grasp. His father had forced him to join the toad's little group, of course, and she saw how much he wished he didn't have to be apart of the raid.

But, ultimately, he was.

It was then she realized this was the beginning of an unfair and tragic end to whatever relationship existed between them.

She knew in that moment that there would be many more moments when she would be on the wrong end of Draco's wand.

But she would never forget the first time, when her heart clogged her throat, and her blood ran cold at the sight of Draco poised to hex her — or worse.


	4. Chapter 4

It was an explosive first fight.

They hadn't really talked since his band of bullies busted up the DA, and Ginny had hobbled into the empty classroom on the fourth floor on freshly mended ankles.

"What in Salazar's name were you thinking?" Draco rounded on her as soon as she entered.

She stood her ground as he advanced. She could see the nerve in his jaw jumping, his eyes ablaze.

"I was _protecting_ my friends," Ginny hissed, returning his fierce gaze. The chocolate brown of her eyes boiled and melted into the emerald green, the color morphing into something else entirely. His steel silver ones burned harshly back.

In that moment, Draco did the one thing that took her off guard. He kissed her. Hard and passionate. His lips were unforgiving as they crashed against hers.

Ginny let herself have that kiss. She was mad as hell, and so was he. She wanted to strangle him, but she knew to treat each kiss like it would be their last.

Waves of rage washed through her. Ginny pushed him away, and after he'd gotten his bearings, his eyes snapping back into focus, she slapped his perfect face.

"How _dare_ you," she spat through gritted teeth. " _You_ chose the easy way out. _You_ are following these crazed men even though you're smarter than that, because you don't want to _bother_ with the hardship of standing up for yourself!"

Draco's nostrils flared. "Easy!" he snapped back, clenching and unclenching his fists. "The _Dark Lord_ lives in my bloody house. He's tortured my family and me on _countless_ occasions. I stay for them, Ginny, and you know that. _You_ of all people should understand how important family is."

Gritting her teeth, Ginny accepted his words, knowing they were the truth after everything they'd been through together. "My family doesn't kill, rape, and pillage for fun."

"They raised me Ginny, I _love_ them. I would do _anything_ for them!"

" _I love you_!" Ginny screamed back, and a window behind her shattered. They both flinched at the unexpected bout of magic.

Draco watched, stunned silent, as she exploded in front of him. He stood, paralyzed, as she turned on her heel and left, slamming the door behind her.

He seethed, feeling his rage and magic coiling around every one of his nerve endings.

After their first fight, he felt like a firework waiting to explode.

* * *

It surprised Ginny the first time she couldn't make an excuse for Draco.

Harry had been going on for ages about how the Slytherin must be a Death Eater. He was _up to something_.

And Ginny couldn't deny it.

When she saw him that first night of the term in the Great Hall, Ginny knew something had changed, that something was wrong.

It had taken her two weeks to shove the sleeve of his robe up, to force him to admit it to her. She'd known, of course. She'd always known it was coming.

She listened silently as Harry went on at breakfast. She didn't say anything as Hermione launched into all the reasons Harry was overreacting.

Ginny would let them sort it out on their own.

But hearing Harry say it made it all the more real for the fifth year. She knew their time was running out — fast. If it wasn't already over.

Draco had officially chosen a side, and whatever Voldemort had tasked him to do would undoubtedly hurt Harry's cause, would actively _help_ a madman.

Her father had nearly died. That madman had nearly killed her.

It was inexcusable.

Ginny sat frozen and silent as this realization engulfed her, filled her up.

There was no coming back from this choice in her eyes, and the first time she drew that line felt like a bludger to the chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Whoops! I had a pretty crappy day at work yesterday and totally forgot to update. Sorry! I'll be uploading two chapters today to make up for it :)

* * *

Draco had just gotten out of the hospital wing, it had been about a week since he'd nearly died at Potter's hand, when he first saw his witch wrapped around his would-be murderer.

To be truthful, the sight was more painful than the Sectumsempra curse.

A flash of a memory passed over his eyes of blood mixing in the thin layer of water that sat atop the bathroom floor.

Potter's voice filled his head, the hiss of the spell mingling with his joyful laughter at a joke _his witch_ had told.

Rage boiled from the scars wrapped up beneath his robes. Draco's hand twitched, demanding to grab the wand in his pocket. But he was with _her_ , and he couldn't hurt her.

Potter ignored him as they passed, but Ginny… she had the audacity to meet his eyes. There was a brokenness in her gaze, and Draco saw it.

It was the first time Draco had seen her _with_ Potter, just days after the "epic" kiss, according to rumors, and she didn't even look happy about it.

* * *

Ginny had just left Dumbledore's funeral, had just been broken up with, when she first told Draco Malfoy they could never be together again.

She'd returned to her dorm room and collapsed on the bed. Ginny spent so much of her life trying to show the world she was unbreakable that when she was finally alone she still couldn't cry.

A pecking at her window forced her out of bed. An owl she'd never seen before landed on the sill and stuck its leg out for her.

 _Meet me in the Room of Lost Things_. _Now_.

The note was short and unsigned, but she didn't need a signature to know who had sent the note.

She crumpled the parchment in her hand and tucked it in her robes as she took a moment to glance in the mirror. She had deep, dark bags under her eyes, but other than that, it was hard to tell anything was wrong. Her lips were set in a thin, straight line as she took a deep breath through her nose and left the room.

"Ginny," her name left his mouth like a prayer as he rushed toward her when she entered the room.

She backed away. "Don't touch me," she said softly.

Draco stopped, his hand hanging awkwardly between them.

"You could've _told_ me, Draco."

His hand returned to his side. "What good would that have done?"

Ginny threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "I _don't know_ , Draco! There's no good you can do other than choosing the right side."

His jaw twitched.

"Right. That's why Potter's just perfect for you, isn't it? He's so _good_. But you're not all good, Ginny! You have darkness in you, does he know that? Does he know anything _real_ about you? Does he know you still think about Tom? That you still miss him?" His eyes bored into hers as he waited for a response or a sign that she was listening. He didn't get one. "He probably doesn't, right? Because he would run away from you if he did."

Ginny flinched.

"It doesn't matter anymore," she said, her voice still quiet.

"What happened?" Draco asked, his tone softening instantly.

"Well, to start, you hatched a plan to kill the headmaster. Now Harry has to admit things are really starting, and he isn't coming back next year, and he doesn't want me to wait for him."

"What an idiot," Draco said under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Ginny hissed.

"I would never let you go of my own accord; I never wanted to let you go."

Ginny laughed, but there was no humor or joy in the sound. "Right, right, right. Choosing Voldemort was _letting me go_ , Draco."

"I want you back, Ginny, I've always wanted you."

"You'll never get me back," she responded, her tone ice cold, her eyes ablaze. "And you made that choice, Draco, don't forget that."

It was the first time she'd said it aloud, that they would never get back together. And in that moment, she truly couldn't envision Draco as part of her future. In reality, it was hard to envision a future at all.


	6. Chapter 6

He knows the first time he fights to get Ginny back that it will be the last.

Draco didn't think he'd ever go back to Hogwarts after Dumbledore's death, but the school was under the Dark Lord's control now.

Frankly, Draco wished he'd never had to come back.

The place was tainted with good and bad memories — both painful in their own way. He saw Ginny only during meals and Quidditch matches. Until the torturing started. The Death Eaters that ran the school let the students get comfortable before instituting the darker aspects of their rule.

It was a little like the Dueling Club all those years ago, but it was mandatory. Older students were told to practice dark spells on "bad" students — students who refused to bend to the will of the new administration.

Draco was always on one side of these weekly meetings. Ginny was always on the other. Once again, she was in a rogue little club, the resistance. She was in trouble a lot.

She was hurt a lot, and it pained him to watch.

If she would just _pretend_ to fall in line, she would be a lot better off.

He tried to tell her as much one night in the Room of Lost Things.

"Why are you still loyal to him?" he asked of her, and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"I will be behind him until the very end. I want a better future than _this_. Draco, this is the kind of world _he_ wants. Is this really the kind of life you want? The kind of life you would give your life to win?"

Draco shook his head. "How could you love him after loving me? He tried to kill me!"

"You tried to kill Dumbledore!"

He turned away from her then in an attempt to control his anger.

"He doesn't love you like I do! He doesn't understand you like I do."

Ginny had stepped closer to him when she replied.

"He understands me better than anyone. He's been possessed by that monster too."

Draco turned back to face her. "But don't you see? He walks this path alone. He doesn't see you as an _equal_."

"He'll call on us when he needs us! And we'll be there! He just needs Hermione and Ron right now."

"You know it will be only him and the Dark Lord in the end, Ginny. He knows it, too." He grasped her hands pulling them to his chest. "Please, Ginny, give me another chance. We can make this work."

Ginny shook her head, not believing him on either account. She wrenched her hands away from his grasp and turned toward the door.

He watched her walk away, and it felt like he was watching her walk out of his life. Draco knew his dignity — his ego — wouldn't allow him to beg her again after this first time.

* * *

The first time the thought popped up in Ginny's mind, she hoped it would be the last.

Harry was back, and he'd finally asked to retire for the night. Hogwarts was in total ruin, her brother had died, but Voldemort was defeated. And Ginny had hoped he would want to unwind and process it all wrapped up in her arms.

She'd walked beside him up to Gryffindor tower. She'd stood by his side as he met with everyone who had fought next to him. She'd shaken hands and hugged strangers as he did, though she'd wanted to be grieving with her family. But politics was politics, and the Chosen One needed to show strength no matter how exhausted he was after bearing the weight of the Wizarding World on his shoulders all these years. And she, Ron, and Hermione had helped shoulder that burden as much as they could.

"Ginny," he said tiredly as they reached the common room, raking a blood-stained hand through his messy hair. "I just need to be alone right now."

She nodded, though a lump formed in her throat. She had watched him comfort what felt like everyone in Britain, but at the end of the night, he didn't want to comfort her or need her comfort in return.

Ginny knew she could never understand what he'd been through, but he'd sought her out before walking into that forest alone. He'd kissed her desperately. Like he knew it would be the last time, like he could suck the magic and life from her to give him strength — and she'd freely let him drink from her.

Logically, she understood that he needed some time alone to process. But she couldn't decide what hurt worse — that he didn't have any comfort to offer her or that he didn't need her.

For the first time, she couldn't help but wonder if Draco had been right. Did Harry really love or need her — or was he doomed to walk his life's path alone?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Here's the end of this little story. Thanks to JadePresley for her beta skillz and to the lovely readers who've followed along. I hope you enjoy this final installment.

* * *

She was wearing a beat-up hat and baggy jumper the first time he saw her in person after the war.

It'd been three years, and she didn't look like she'd aged a day. Once you've been through a war, every day stressors can't be that bad he mused as he watched her from across the hallway.

He'd come out of his mother's hospital room to find a cup of coffee and there she'd been standing, waiting on the lift. He stared at her for a moment, hearing the ringing of the lift each time it got one floor closer.

It took his breath away to see her standing there in the flesh. He'd not gone out much after the war. Though he'd gotten off easy with the law because he'd been underage for most of his crimes, he stood by his mother's side as she was stripped of her magic and relegated to the Manor.

Most of the Malfoy money was frozen for a while longer. His father had died in Azkaban. It had been a hard couple of years for him, and seeing Ginny for the first time felt like the sun was finally coming back out after a monsoon.

He approached her just as the lift opened, and she'd turned, ignoring the open door long enough that it left without her.

Ginny seemed subdued as they spoke, but she'd accepted his invitation to have a cuppa together.

They ended up talking for over an hour about anything and everything but their love lives.

Ginny was wearing Harry Potter's ring, but Draco hadn't had the heart to date since the war. Most women wanted his bad boy image or his money more than they wanted _him_.

Draco got her to laugh, and he could feel that she hadn't done so in a long time. He reached for her hand, and she let him.

It was like coming home after a long and hard trip, like taking a gulp of water after years without, like he'd been missing a piece of himself and it was snapping back into place.

As she left him at St. Mungo's, Draco was still basking in her companionship. She'd promised to be in touch soon, and it felt like he'd been starved of oxygen the last three years and suddenly he could breathe again. It was the first time he'd seen her in so long, and after all this time, he still knew that she was the one for him. He was pretty sure from her demeanor that she wasn't happy, and he thought maybe he was the one for her, too.

* * *

It was more awkward than even she expected when Ginny saw her ex boyfriend in public for the first time since their very public break up.

When she left St. Mungo's that day nearly a year ago, it was with the knowledge that she wasn't in fact pregnant with Harry Potter's child. It was just a scare. And thank Merlin for that, she'd thought as she headed back to the flat she shared with him after spending more than an hour catching up with her boyfriend's childhood rival.

She'd only known for a few days that he was cheating on her. Ginny hadn't been sure how she was going to proceed, but when she found out she might be pregnant and had to live with that possibility for a full day before she could see a Healer, all had become clear for her. She couldn't spend the rest of her life fake-happy with the savior of the Wizarding World. She deserved better.

Hermione reached their table first, smiling politely at Draco and giving Ginny a genuinely warm hug. Harry stood behind her, a stiff smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"Ginny. Malfoy," he said tightly.

"It's so good to see you both," Hermione said more affectionately.

"It's been too long," Ginny responded.

"Yes, we should get lunch sometime. Catch up," Hermione said, looking at Ginny.

"I'd like that."

Harry wasn't subtle when he elbowed Hermione. She glared at him. "We should get on to our table," she admitted.

"It was lovely to see you," Draco said, his smile a little too wide to be true.

Once they left, Ginny and Draco returned to their intimate meal, foreheads pulled in close together.

Admittedly Draco was surprised he actually heard from Ginny after their run-in at St. Mungo's. They instituted a weekly lunch date, which quickly turned into post-lunch drinks and then to dinner, and then to much more. It wasn't always easy for them as they transitioned back to and beyond the relationship they'd formed back in school. But each time Draco would take a peek toward the back of the restaurant, spotting Harry and Hermione, he was thankful his witch had given him another chance.

After the couple had eaten, Ginny noted Hermione was looking around the room aimlessly as Harry obnoxiously flirted with the young waitress.

The witch turned back to her boyfriend and smiled, nuzzling her cheek against his side as he wrapped an arm around her and guided her from the restaurant. "I love you," she said freely, knowing confidently that she'd made the right choice the first time she'd fallen for Draco and grateful that time could heal some wounds.

From the start, he'd been her confidant, her equal, her partner. Now that the war was over, they were on the same side for the first time.

And there they would stay for the rest of their lives.


End file.
